Film Review – Ironclad: Battle for Blood

2011’s “Ironclad” wasn’t an extraordinary cinematic statement, but it managed to secure the right amount of brutality to convince. Blessed with some star power (including James Purefoy, Paul Giamatti, and Kate Mara) and a dusting of history (being one of the few Magna Carta-theme actioners), the feature had sword-swinging charm and a bloodlust unlike many period productions. Amazingly, someone, somewhere decided a sequel was in order. “Ironclad: Battle for Blood” attempts to cement a brand name for co-writer/director Jonathan English’s world of weary heroism, only without the same budget and number of familiar faces. Taking the low-budget route to keep his dream alive, English bites off more than he can chew with this follow-up, unable to summon the same level of excitement, despite returning to the ultraviolence that stained the previous picture. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com